


Smuggler

by Lucifer_BringerofLight



Category: Stargate SG-1
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:00:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28010553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucifer_BringerofLight/pseuds/Lucifer_BringerofLight
Summary: She was a smuggler and a thief. And one day she stole Daniel.





	1. Chapter 1

I was used to my cargo being whiny, but this one was particularly annoying. I had picked him up on a deserted mining planet. My plan had been getting his whole team but, in the end, I only got him. Not nice, but still okay, since he would bring me a fine prise. If I could get him to shut up. Why had they always something to complain about. _The ropes are too tight,_ mimimimi, _please let me go_ , mimimimi, _why am I here?,_ mimimimi, _I need to drink_ , mimimimi, _please, I have family_ , mimimimi. They always found something. But this one, this one told me, that his friends would come for him, that they would find me and free him. He asked me, where I was taking him. Not totally unusual, though. The toughest ones, soldiers, tended to do so, if they had faith in their comrades.

“Shut the hell up!”

Naturally, he didn’t. He continued to demand answers. Ugh, I hated people. I turned up my music loud enough so that I wouldn’t have to hear him. And it worked, he went silent, but when I turned around to check on him, he sat there awestruck. 

“What is it now?!”

I knew, I shouldn’t ask. I really shouldn’t. Just ignore him, he’d stop it soon. Still, I lowered the sound, so that he could answer. He looked at me fascinated, as if I were something peculiar, he had never encountered before.

“You’re from Earth!”

Not what I’d expected. Confused me, though. I had never heard of a place called Earth.

“What is Earth?”

The man rose to his feet and gripped the bars for hold. Still eyeballing me with great curiosity.

“Earth is my home planet. Not the planet you took me from, but the one I live on. And it’s the planet this music is from. That’s ABBA.”

I had no idea what he was talking about. Never heard of this ABBA before. But I had always been curios, willing to learn. Which had kept me alive.

“Music is ABBA?”

Maybe it was the word for it in his native tongue or some sort of slang.

“Not all music, no. But this band, they called themselves ABBA.”

Hm, didn’t know that. Didn’t need to know that, either of course. It had no value for me. A new language, yes, but some trivia about a band? Not at all.

“I’m Daniel, by the way, Dr Daniel Jackson. What’s your name?”

What kind of an amateur did this guy think I was? Names! Nearly no one knew my name. my masters gave me the ones they liked, or they thought suited me.

As I didn’t answer, Daniel decided to change the subject back to something I had reacted on. Clever one, that guy.

“So, where did you get the music from, if not from earth?”

“I always had them.”

That was the truth. I had this device with me, that could play music. I don’t remember how it was called. But when a hunter came for me, he hadn’t taken it way and neither did my masters. None of them. They had surprisingly accepted it as my belongings and left it with me.

“And how did you get here?”

“My Master bought me.”

The man looked horrified. “Bought, like a slave?”

Slave was not the term we used usually. Mostly we were called servants or bondmaids, rarely minions. Only people without servants called us slaves and they seemed to look down on it. I had learned that on some planet’s slavery was prohibited as cruel and inhuman, and if someone wanted someone else to work for him, he had to pay that person. Those people regarded the servants as equal and looked down on the masters and mistress’. Thought they were pathetic. I had always found those planets to be odd, but somehow liked the concept of equality. Although I knew that I could never have that.

“Yeah, like that.”

He seemed to realise why he was here, and his shoulders dropped. “You will sell me, too.”

“You’re gonna bring in a fortune. You are tall, handsome, strong, and you can read, write. They’ll pay more for you then you can imagine.”

“What do you mean, I can read?”

Even though he still looked terrified, his curiosity returned. He really wanted to know about us, about me. 

“Most servants cannot read, nor write. They’re never taught.”

He looked even more shocked now. What had he expected? A labourer was still a good labourer if he couldn’t read, a thief was a good thief if he couldn’t write. It didn’t matter for us.

“Can you?” he looked as if the thought of me not being able to read made him sad.

“Bits and pieces. I can calculate, though.”

I was taught during my time at my second Master. But I had been a plain servant, so why should anyone teach us anything. One of the older servants took care of me, since I was a child, but then I was sold again. The first time I had proper lessons where when a master decided to turn me into a hunter, for that I had to calculate.

“Why don’t you just leave your Master and start your own life.”

I stared at him in disbelief. How could he say something like that? Running away was impossible. He’d have someone track me down and kill me. I’d be a fugitive for the rest of my, assumably short, life.

“You don’t just leave your Master. I am his property; I belong to him.”

“How long have you been with him?”

“A few years, maybe more. But he isn’t my first Master. I had several before.”

He looked pitying. “Have you always been a slave?”

I shook my head, there were faint memories of my life before. And every day the vanished a bit more. Probably because I didn’t think about them often. What good did it, to dwell in memories, if I could never return to those days?

“That doesn’t matters.”

I turned around, hoping to avoid the topic. I didn’t like thinking about it and I had never talked about my origin to anyone. Why should I? Daniel fell silent behind be.


	2. Chapter 2

For another few hours I ignored the guy. But when I landed on a planet to deliver some cargo, I gave him some water.

“Thank you.”

“I can’t sell you when you’re dead.”

Now he didn’t look as grateful anymore, but drank anyways.

“We landed.” He observed, sounding worried. “You’re gonna sell me now?”

I shook my head.

“No, I’ll sell some stuff here, and then come back to fly you to were you will be sold.”

“Nice.” Though he didn’t sound like he actually found the idea nice.

“Don’t hope for your friends to come and save you.”

He shook his head, “Believe me, I wasn’t. I don’t think they have even the tiniest idea of where I am.”

Daniel looked around and then at me, before sighing sadly.

“Guess I’ll be a slave.”

Uncertain I looked at the door and back at him. With him, I got the feeling that he might try to run. He didn’t seem to be the type to just quietly accept things. No matter what he said, he hadn’t given up hope completely yet.

“I’d advise you to stay here until I return. This world is.... You don’t want to go out there, believe me.”

“But you do?”

He looked suspicious, which was understandable. He must think that I lied to him to keep him from leaving. A reasonable assumption, but wrong. I really hated this world, but I knew how to survive out there.

“It’s always risky. But the pay good and...”

My master would be upset with me if I wouldn’t bring home some gold. Returning empty handed would be way worse than going out there. Still, it dreaded me from going.

I realized that Daniel was staring at me, waiting that I’d finish my sentence.

“Whatever. If you actually managed to break free, good luck out there. If you’re not killed at sight, you’ll be sold as a labourer. I can get you a brainy job. You can believe me, if I say, brains like you can have it quite nice.”

He nodded reluctantly. Had to be enough for me. But it resented me to leave him behind. Shocked I realized that this was not only because him leaving would cost me gold, but also because some tiny part of me didn’t want to see him getting hurt.

Being here was the worst. Those people were barbarians. The men always looked at me like I was meat. More than once I had hurt someone severely when he attempted to touch me without my consent. The women were either possessions or thieves. Mostly bondmaids, though. The few thieves actually living on this planet were regarded even more worthless than the bondmaids. Me, they didn’t like much. But I had a reputation down here and that was something they respected.

I made my way through the street without getting more than weird looks. And that was nothing that bothered me. As long as they stayed away from me, it was good. And they were clever to do so. Most of them had either been beaten up by me before or watched me do so. It was nothing any of them wanted to repeat. Without any sort of trouble, I made it to my dealer. He was one of the best and he never gave me crap for being a female thief. Which I appreciated with loyalty.

“What do you bring me today?”

“Oh, nothing big. Just this nice little bag full of Naquadah.”

His eyes light up, knowing how much even a gram of Naquadah was worth.

“How much?”

“Half a pound. Good one, too. Pure. Best quality.”

“Do I want to know where you got it from?”

“Mining planet. Not worth talking about it. This is a month’s harvest.”

He nodded understandingly. “Too bad for them. Here is your gold, love. Enjoy it while it lasts.”

As the most people I dealt with, he thought I was free. Just a common thief.

I thanked him and returned to my ship. Not completely unbothered, this time. But even with a sack of gold beating someone up was no problem.

When I finally made it back, I was beaten up pretty bad, too, but I was still standing, while the other one was unconscious. I put the gold away and turned to Daniel, who had stayed were I’d left him.

“You didn’t try your luck?”

“No, I didn’t. Considering the way, you look, it was a good idea.”

I nodded and got my ship into the air. After I set a course home, I went over to the storage, grabbed some food, handing him some of it.

“Tell me about Earth. How is it there? You don’t seem to have servants there.”

He looked surprised about my question, but thought about it.

“Well, it depends on your definition of servants. We consider them people we pay for working for us. But we don’t have slavery. Not in the country I come from, at least. You see, there are different countries, different governments. It’s complicated. But it’s a good place, most of the time. We have our problems and so on. I could show you if you’d-”

If I’d let him go. But I couldn’t, which he seemed to realise.

“It must be nice, being oneself’s master.”

“Return with me to Earth, my people could protect you.”

I shook my head regretful. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be free. I had dreamed about it ever since they got to me. But I couldn’t.

“No one can protect me from him. He’ll find me and have me and everyone in his way killed. He would have me haunted until one of us dies. Losing a serf means being weak. He won’t accept it.”

I rose again and set down at the pilot’s seat.

“I wish I could help you, Daniel Jackson, but I cannot. Too many lives would be endangered. I can’t risk it, just to save you.”

Daniel nodded gravely, “I understand that. Though I would rather die than being enslaved, I prefer being a slave over being responsible for other people’s death.”

“You are a good person and I’m sorry I brought this over you.”

He didn’t respond, but in his place, I hadn’t known if I had. I had ruined his life.

“Do you have family? A wife, maybe children?”

He looked at me in surprise. Considering he had tried to talk to me earlier and I had shut him down, it was probably understandable.

“I had a wife, but she was killed. Sadly, we had never been fortuned enough to had children.”

“Be thankful for it. I certainly am. You leave no family behind. That’s something.”

It was more than something, it was a great relief. Now I only had to feel guilty about him, not about his family too.


	3. Chapter 3

For the next few hours, we remained silent. Both lost in thoughts. We probably wouldn’t have spoken a single work until we arrived at our destination if I hadn’t been called. It was Darius, chef bondman at my master’s house.

“Return at once.”

“What happened?”

I could tell from his voice that he was deeply disturbed. Which couldn’t mean anything good.

“Our master has been slaughtered, his whole family with him.”

That wasn’t good at all. This meant, we had no master. We were free for everyone to take us. That was bad, really bad.

“Return and you will be assigned a new master.”

He disconnected the call and left us in silence again. I never had been unappropriated before. My mind was blank, as I tried to figure out what came next.

“You know that this is your chance, do you?”

I looked at Daniel.

“You said, your master will haunt you until either of you dies. Well, he’s dead and you don’t have a new master yet. Means, you’re free.”

I was free? That was impossible. How could I be free? I didn’t know how to do with freedom! I turned around and starred at Daniel in disbelieve. He nodded convinced.

“Your master is dead. You can… you can run for it. Live your own life. Find a planet to settle down there. Build a life, have friends, a family maybe.”

Slowly, it began to sink in. I was indeed free to do what I wanted. I could do anything and everything. He was right, I could returned to one of those planets, where they didn’t have slavery and start over. I could learn how to read properly, work for money.

“I could bring you home.”

This offer astonished Daniel immensely.

“Yes, yes I suppose you can.”

“Then that’s what I will do. You will return to your home world.”

Daniel sighed in relief and sat down on the bench. I went over and opened the cell.

“You can sit in the passenger’s seat. You’re as free as I am.”

He sat down and smiled at me gratefully.

“Thank you.”

It took us some hours to get to his home world. In this time, he told me about his world and his people. Mostly his team and what they did together. Saving their world and the galaxy. He even though me to read better. Then, we reached our destination.

“That’s your planet?”

We looked down on a relatively small planet, covered in water.

“Technically, it’s your planet too. Somewhere down there, you might still have family. You could come with me. See, if we can find them.”

For a second I actually thought about it, but then shook my head.

“No. I don’t think I can. I’m… I’m better off on another planet. I want to start completely anew.”

Daniel nodded, but I had the feeling that he didn’t understand.

“We should beam you down, now, shouldn’t we?”

“For the best, I guess. I wish you the very best of luck. Maybe, one day, we’ll meet again.”

“Yeah, maybe one day.”

I smiled at him and then entered the code. He dissolved in light and left me behind in silence, without a plan about how to carry on and what to do now. I had to find a new purpose, a new way to live. I didn’t know how to live for myself, but I would find out.


	4. Chapter 4

Years had passed and I had never forgotten about the man that helped me start over. But as I had expected I had never met him again and I did not expect it to change. Probably for the best, since I hadn’t made my life what he wished me to be. I still was a thief. But independent from anyone now. The dealers I traded with had always thought I was on my own, therefore I could continue to trade with them. Only now, I could keep the gold for me.

Today, however, I wasn’t here for profit, but to do the right thing. Nothing you’d expect form a petty thief like me. Well, I wasn’t what people expected me to be.

I had left my ship in the orbit and beamed down, ending up in a corn field, few meters away from the path. Which was my luck, since there were people arguing on the path.

„Well, no offense Jackson, but you do not strike me as the drug dealer type. In fact, you’re not even close.”

“I think I’m as close as you are!”

The argument between this group was just hilarious, especially as the woman spoke up.

“Come on, your miles away.”

“Teal’c! Which one of use is closer?”

“I believe the three of you to be equidistant.”

“Oh, please! Mary Poppins is not even in the runnin’!”

“Hey!”

I could barely hold myself from laughing out loud, which was, why I stepped forward. Scaring the hell out of all four of them.

“You seem in need of a dealer. A proper dealer.”

They looked astonished, as they finally found where my voice was coming from. I hated corn fields.

“Because none of you looks even the tines bit reliable.”

They looked at each other, wondering what I could want.

“So, you wonna steel from them? Kill someone? Betray them? Something like that? Nah, you don’t look like you would do any of it. Guess, you want information about the disappearing stargates?”

While trying to find out their motivation, I had realised, that I knew one of them. One of the human men was Daniel Jackson, though he didn’t seem to recognize me. He just looked at me, as startled as the other two humans. The Jaffa was the one to answer.

“That is correct.”

“Somebody stole one from you?”

They agreed. Looking at each other suspiciously. Never trust a thief.

“I might be able to help you.”

“Why would we trust you?” The woman spoke up again.

“You would be stupid if you did. But you would be even more stupid if you didn’t. See, I’ve got a good reputation here, well, not good, but I have one, you don’t. You need me, and I need a partner to succeed.”

The argued for some minutes, trying to be as quiet as possible. Didn’t stop me from hearing every word. But I didn’t care, anyways. Whether or not they’d team up with me was unimportant. I would get them out of here before continuing my plan.

“So, one of us goes with you, helps you getting whatever you want, and you help us getting information and the part ways?”

“Yeah, yeah kind of.”

Not actually, no. nothing like that. But they didn’t need to know. All I wanted was Daniel out of the way and save. For the rest it didn’t actually care. He did, though, and so I would make sure I got them out of the way, too.

I smiled as friendly as I could, “I’m Anatalia, nice to meet you.”

After I started a new life, I began to use the name my parents had given to me. One of the few memories, that had returned.

We shook hands. They introduced themselves, the woman was called Cater, the second man Mitchel and the Jaffa called himself Teal’c. 

“So, you take one of us with you, what’s the rest of us supposed to do?”

“Ah, yeah, nothing. Don’t worry, you won’t even know what’s happening, till it’s over.”

Smiling mischievous, I pressed some buttons on the device in my hand and three of them vanished.

“What did you do!”

Mitchell, the one I chose to accompany me, was mad at me and looked as if he wanted to shoot me.

“Don’t worry Colonel, they’re fine and most importantly, out of the way. They’re on my ship, you’ll meet with them later. After I defrosted them.”

His expression didn’t change. It was still cold and angry.

“Believe me, it’s for their best. We’ll have to make a quick exit later and that way, they are save.”

“Why would you need to make a quick exit?”

“I’m intending to … is it stealing if it doesn’t belong to them? Never mind. Let’s go and remember, I’ll do the talking.”


	5. Chapter 5

There wasn’t much talking, actually. We went in, I found what I was looking for and beamed us out. Then I set course and my ship went into Hyperspace. Mitchel stared at me in disbelieve, as if he couldn’t quite understand what had happened down there. Not surprising, considering that I had kind of stole everything in their possession.

“You wanted to steel twenty Stargates?”

Not only the stargates. I wanted and did steal everything of value from them. After all, I was a thief, and I was making a living with stealing.

“Yeah, that was the plan. If you excuse me for a second, I’ll start defrosting your team. I already set course to Earth, after that you’ll have a brand-new Stargate.”

“Wait, you’re giving one of them to us?”

I shrugged my shoulders and started the defrosting of one of the stasis chambers. It didn’t took too long. When they stepped out of their chamber, Cater and Daniel were rather confused, couldn’t quite process what happened. Teal’c, couldn’t either, but he reacted differently to that. He attacked me. His mistake. Teal’c wasn’t the first Jaffa I fought with. I had stolen from some before and that was something they really didn’t like. Therefore, I could fend him off until Mitchel told him to stop.

“It’s okay. She is no danger to us.”

Not that he looked convinced, but Teal’c stopped. Good, after all, I had offered them a new Stargate.

“What just happened?” Jackson looked around, trying to understand the situation.

“I stole some Stargates.”

Not much of an explanation and not the whole truth, but all he needed to know.

“About twenty Stargates, to be specific.” Mitchel didn’t seem to agree about that. “And we didn’t get any information. But she’ll give one to us.”

“Anyways, welcome on board my ship. I like to call her Scylla.”

“After a Greek Monster?”

“No, after a nereid turned into a monster. It reminds me, that people are made who they are by others.”

“And who made you the way you are?”

“That’s none of your business, Daniel Jackson.”

“How do you know my name?”

“You have more important things to discuss. Mitchel, you got some information, despite your claim that you didn’t, you should share them, while I make sure we’re on the right course.”

Not that I needed to, but I was tired of explaining myself and wanted to make sure, that everything went as planned.

“Don’t you worry that they might follow us? I saw ships back there.”

“Not at all.”

I smiled and wanted to walk away, but Cater stopped me.

“I still got some questions. Like, who are you and why are you doing all this?”

“I am a smuggler, a thief. I spend my whole life stealing stuff and selling it.”

“That’s what you plan with the Gates?”

“More or less, I’m giving them back to people I know they were stolen from. People like you.”

“That’s really nice of you.”

To be nice was not my intention.

“Maybe, but the people I stole from wanted to sell them to the Goa’uld and now they can’t. I don’t really like the Goa’uld.”

“But they’ll steel new ones.”

“Their ship kinda blew up… I leave no unfinished business behind.”

I went into the cockpit, but was soon followed by Jackson.

“I am curios. How do you know so much about us?”

“I met many people you worked with. Some liked you, some didn’t. But all of them talked about you.”

“That’s interesting”

“Oh yes, it is. Even though, I think, my life is more adventurous.”

“I doubt that.”

“if you like too, go on.”

After what he had told me about his life, he might even be right, but he didn’t need to know this. Daniel sat down in the passenger’s seat.

“What happened with the ship we came with?”

“Oh, that tiny little thing? It’s in the hangar. You’ll get it back as soon as we arrive on Earth. Together with the Stargate, which you desperately need, don’t you? What’s SG-1 without a Stargate, hu?”

He nodded, then frowned. “You know a lot about us. And I’m almost certain that I know you.”

“You do, Daniel Jackson. Years ago, we… met. If you want to call it so.”

Didn’t look like he knew what I was talking about. Not my problem, to be honest. If he didn’t remember, so be it. Didn’t bother me too much. Yeah, okay, it bothered me a bit. After all I saved his life and let him go, well, I kidnapped him, true, but still, a bit gratefulness isn’t too much to ask, is it?

I turned away from him and shrugged my shoulders, “Doesn’t matter. Never expected you to remember me. Haven’t been anything but a lousy thief to you, have I”

Still, his face showed no sign of recognition.

“Whatever, I have to do … stuff. Take care of my ship and that. Better go back to your friends.”

For a moment I thought he wanted to say something, but then he just got up and walked out of the cockpit. Leaving me deeply in thoughts.

They spent about an hour making plans for whatever. Nothing I’d care about. But in the end, Daniel returned and sat down next to me again.

“I know I know you. I just can’t remember when I met you. And I thought, maybe you could just tell me?

“Where’d be the fun in that?”

With a sigh he rolled his eyes, then started to grin.

“How about a game? I ask questions and you answer with yes or no? that should be enough fun for you.”

“Sounds fun. I’m in.”

“Okay. So, did I meet you on a planet?”

Well, that answer might be yes as well as no. He first saw me on my ship, I met him on a planet, as I knocked him out and beamed him up, while he was unconscious.

“I guess it counts as no.”

He frowned, “You guess? Okay. Well, my team wasn’t with me, when we met?”

“Clear no.”

“At least something. Narrows it down. Did I meet you on an expedition?”

“Sort of.”

“Yes or no?”

“No.”

Yeah, that was definitely fun.

“Was anybody there, when we met?”

“No.”

“You’re the woman that kidnapped me and wanted to sell me as a slave!”

Now he got it. Clever boy.

“Anatalia is a lot shorter, don’t you think?”

He started laughing, then stopped abruptly.

“You’re still a thief. I’d hoped you build something for yourself.”

“Didn’t I? I got my own ship. Sold the other one to buy it.”

Apparently, that wasn’t what he had on mind.

“What about, settling down, having a family?”

“Boring. I never did anything with my life but being enslaved, and that wasn’t my decision. I wanted to be free before doing anything else. And, maybe, one day, I’ll be ready for settling for a boring life with family, but not today. And you are not in the position to judge me. You haven’t settled yet, either.”

“I would say, it’s because I’m out there in the universe, saving it, but I know you won’t let it count.”

“Bet your ass I won’t”

He shook his head, laughing.

“And, may I add, after what I heard, I can say, you don’t save the universe, barely the galaxy, once in a while.”

“Ouch. That hurt.”

“Oh, poor you. So, what did you do since I returned you to earth?”

He looked back at his team, shrugged his shoulders, and turned back at me with a huge grin,

“Not much. I got a new Colonel, my ex-girlfriend got possessed by a Goa’uld, we proofed my Grandfather was actually right and not mad and I think we saved our world two or three times. Oh, and I died again.”

“You did what exactly?!”

He died? Again? Not that he looked very dead.

“Yeah, I died again. Don’t worry. Didn’t stick.”

“How often did you die, already?”

He actually had to think about that for some time. How hard can it be to remember how often oneself died?

“I think it was the third time where I died while being in my own body.”

Though it wasn’t a topic one would usually laughed about, but I couldn’t stop myself and neither could he.

“Third time, already? You should slow down a bit. Even cats only have nine lives, and you are most certainly human.”

“An extremely lucky human, you must admit.”

“Lucky indeed. How is it going on earth?”

“I’d like to say good, but politics is crazy.”

“What is politics?”

“Government and stuff. Politicians are mad. Messing up everything all the time. They never listen to scientists.”

“They don’t? How dare they?”

Both of us started chuckling. Daniel looked around in the cockpit.

“I like this ship better than the last.”

No wonder, this one had no cells. None he saw, at least.

“Well, you should see the rest of it. Speaking of which, my hyperspace engine is a bit faulty. Means, we’ll need about a week. I’d say, take your tiny ship and go ahead. But before I could take it aboard it took some hits. Sorry, structural integrity is not the best. I’ll fix that. Don’t worry. Easy peasy. So, when you’ve sorted out your, whatever it is you have to sort out, I’ll show you where you can sleep.”

“Sure. I’ll ask the others.”

He rose and went over, to explain the situations. They weren’t exactly happy, but didn’t have much choice than to agree. So, I showed them their quarters.

“How come you have so many empty quarters?”

“This used to be a science ship of some military that got repurposed into a passenger ship. After it was used to transport high risk prisoners, who tried to escape, it took some damage and was supposed to be wracked. I bought it for peanuts.”

Mitchell nodded slightly irritated, not sure whether to find this information reassuring or disturbing.

“Don’t worry. I fixed the important parts. The only thing I can’t quite fix is the hyperspace engine.”

Now he was definitely worried, which I simply shrugged off.

“Anyway, here’re some rooms. They’re probably not really clean. Last time I base cleaned it was after I bought it.”

“Which, I assume, was soon after we met?”

“Yeah, like two days later. Had to get rid of the ship. Kinda stole it.”

“Kinda.”

“Excuse me?”

That was the first thing the woman said to me.

“You stole the ship?”

“Not this one. The other one, the one I bought this with. But yes.”

Then I turned to Daniel, “You haven’t told them yet, have you? Well, then. You should have figured that already, but I’m a thief.”

“uhu, how exactly did Daniel and you meet and what was he doing at this time?”

“I kinda stole him, too. And he wasn’t doing much when I stole him. Knocked him out.”

“Yes, and after that she wanted to sell me.”

His friends looked horrified, but he just smiled as if he found that amusing.

“I still think you would have made a great manservant. Really. By now you could have been a nobleman’s advisor. Or even a king’s!”

“What a shame I rather wanted to be free! It’d been such a great opportunity!”

We both laughed, which made the others look even more horrified.

“She wanted to sell you as a slave and you still trust her?”

“In her defence, she’d been a slave herself at that time. She’s from earth, actually. Was kidnapped when she was a child.”

“Oh.”

Now they looked even more horrified. Geez, they were really easy to horrify. How boring.

“Yeah, whatever. I’m free now. Daniel is free, too. So, just forget about it.”

“She’s right. Old news. More important is that she helped us today and she’ll give us a Stargate.”

None of his friends seemed to be happy with that, but they didn’t say anything and quietly went into their rooms. Except for Daniel, who stayed with me.

“You know, you might still be a thief, but I don’t think you are a bad person. I think you are a rather good person.”

“I don’t know about that, but thanks.”

Daniel smiled at me warmly, then went to his room. I, too, went to my room and laid down to sleep a little. But tonight, I had trouble finding rest. Since I’d met Daniel the first time, I had asked myself if I had made the right decision not to return to earth. At the time I’d thought there’d been nothing there for me, I still didn’t remember my family and I could imagine how life there would be, what life on earth could possibly offer me, so I had stayed with what I knew. I stayed a thief, though I stopped stealing people. And I had been content with that. But after meeting Daniel again… I couldn’t say exactly what was going on in my mind. One thing I could say with certainty, I wouldn’t find any rest this night. So, I gave up and went to the hangar, trying to repair the damage on their ship.


End file.
